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Organic brain syndrome

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment

Definition:

Organic brain syndrome (OBS) is a general term, referring to physical disorders (usually not psychiatric disorders) that cause decreased mental function.

Alternative Names:

OBS; Organic mental disorder (OMS); Chronic organic brain syndrome

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

OBS is a common diagnosis in the elderly. It is not an inevitable part of aging, however. OBS is not a separate disease, but is a general term used to categorize physical conditions that can cause mental changes.

Disorders associated with OBS include, but are not limited to:

• Degenerative disorders:
  • Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease
  • Huntington disease
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Normal pressure hydrocephalus
  • Pick disease
  • Senile dementia, Alzheimer type
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Diffuse Lewy Body disease
• Cardiovascular disorders :
  • Arrhythmias -- may cause some types of OBS
  • Cardiac infections ( endocarditis , myocarditis , etc.) -- may sometimes cause OBS
  • Hypertensive (related to high blood pressure) brain injury
  • Multi-infarct dementia (multiple strokes)
  • Stroke
  • TIA
• Trauma-induced brain injury:
  • Chronic subdural hematoma (blood clot causing pressure on brain)
  • Concussion
  • Intracerebral hemorrhage
  • Subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Dementia due to metabolic causes
• Respiratory conditions -- may cause or aggravate OBS
  • Hypoxia (decreased oxygen in the body)
  • Hypercapnia (increased carbon dioxide levels in the body)
• Infections
  • Any acute or chronic infection
  • Septicemia (presence in the bloodstream of toxic by-products caused by infection)
  • Meningitis
  • Encephalitis
• Drug and alcohol related conditions
  • Intoxication, drug abuse , or alcohol use
  • Long-term effects of alcohol, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
  • Alcohol withdrawal state
  • Withdrawal from drugs (especially sedative-hypnotics and corticosteroids)
• Other medical disorders
  • Thyroid disease (high or low)
  • Vitamin deficiency (B12 and others)
  • Liver disease
  • Kidney disease
  • Cancer

Other conditions that may be related to organic brain syndrome include: depression , neuroses, and psychoses of various types, which may occur at the same time as the OBS.

• Review Date: 9/7/2006
• Reviewed By: Kenneth Gross, M.D., Neurology, North Miami, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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